Tillis says Alaska ballot warrants scrutiny, but questions DOJ lawsuit over Dan Sullivan names
WASHINGTON, DC: Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) on Sunday, October 25, said that it was “appropriate to take a look at” Alaska’s Senate race, where two candidates with similar names are running, after the Justice Department filed a lawsuit challenging the election process.
The lawsuit argues that the presence of a second candidate named Dan Sullivan could confuse voters and potentially undermine the result if Democratic candidate Mary Peltola defeats incumbent Republican Senator Dan Sullivan. Tillis backed scrutiny of the ballot but questioned why the department filed its lawsuit before even establishing evidence of voter confusion.
Thom Tillis questions DOJ lawsuit as Lisa Murkowski warns against premature action
Speaking on CBS News’ 'Face the Nation', Tillis discussed the dispute with host Margaret Brennan, following criticism of the lawsuit from Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
"Alaska has a candidate who just coincidentally happens to be the same name as my friend and colleague who came in with me in 2014," Tillis said, referring to Senator Sullivan. "So I think it's appropriate to take a look at it."
Face the Nation, Margaret Brennan and Thom Tillis, from Charlotte. “we turn now to north carolina republican senator thom tillis, who joins us from charlotte this morning. good morning to you, sir.” ”
— corgi (@wordsdematthew) October 25, 2026
Tillis said that he was "not sure" why the Justice Department needed to file a lawsuit, other than to ensure ballots were handled correctly and determine whether voters had been confused. The Republican leader accused Democrats of "gaming the system" through the candidacy of Daniel J Sullivan.
Tillis, however, questioned the timing of the legal action and echoed concerns raised by Murkowski, who said the Justice Department should not have sued over the ballot.
"Well, there are very few people that know Alaska better than Lisa, to be honest with you," Tillis said. "Lisa Murkowski is a friend and an extraordinary member of the US Senate. I agree that filing the lawsuit before anything that could be substantiated ... It's almost a preemptive, a presumptive posture, versus simply telling the Alaska election officials, 'We're going to be watching this closely.'"
Todd Blanche defends Justice Department's lawsuit
The Justice Department filed its lawsuit last Thursday in federal court in Alaska. The complaint alleges that Daniel J Sullivan entered the race as a Republican “with the intention of misleading” supporters of the incumbent. It argues that certifying an election result potentially affected by voter confusion would undermine the state’s obligation to protect election integrity.
NEW: The Trump administration sued Alaska to prevent certification of its U.S. Senate election if incumbent Republican Dan Sullivan loses and votes for another candidate named Daniel Sullivan could have changed the outcome, alleging voter confusion under federal law. https://t.co/Y8zV0Pt5qH
— SCOTUS Wire (@scotus_wire) October 23, 2026
Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the lawsuit during an earlier appearance on the same programme, saying that the department wanted a process to determine whether confusion had affected the result.
"All we were doing is trying to put guardrails in place so that if that happens, there's a system allowed where the ballots are kept in a way so that we can determine whether there was confusion," Blanche said. "It's not saying, 'Don't certify.'"
